Silicone chew toy

Abstract

A chew toy product is made of multiple layers of silicone. Liquid silicone layers are vulcanized to a solid silicone layer to form a unitary solid silicone chew toy. Each of the layers can include a silicone colorant, so the chew toy can have multiple colors.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of making a silicone chew toy comprising:
 combining a solid silicone material with a first colorant, wherein the first colorant is a liquid silicone material, to obtain a first combination; 
 placing the first combination of the solid silicone and first colorant into a first cavity of a mold; 
 mixing a liquid silicone material with a second colorant wherein the second colorant is a liquid silicone material, to obtain a second combination; 
 placing the second combination of the liquid silicone and second colorant into a second cavity of the mold, wherein the second colorant is a different color from the first colorant; 
 layering a solid colored silicone into the mold on top of the silicone mixed with the first colorant and second colorant; 
 compressing the mold; 
 heating the mold; 
 allowing the solid and liquid silicone to cool; and 
 after allowing the solid and liquid silicone to cool, removing from the mold the silicone chew toy comprising the solid colored silicone that is coupled to the first combination of the solid silicone and first and second colorants. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 mixing a liquid silicone material with a third colorant wherein the third colorant is a liquid silicone material, to obtain a third combination; and 
 placing the third combination of the liquid silicone and third colorant into a third cavity of the mold. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1  wherein the combining a solid silicone material with a first colorant comprises:
 outputting the colored liquid silicone comprising the first colorant from a syringe. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1  wherein the first and second colorants are different hues. 
     
     
       5. A method of making a silicone chew toy comprising:
 mixing liquid silicone with a first silicone color paste; 
 loading syringes with the colored liquid silicone; 
 inserting the colored liquid silicone in cavities of a mold according to a pattern; 
 heating to set the liquid silicone; 
 mixing solid silicone with a second silicone color paste; 
 layering the solid silicone material into the mold on top of a decoration; 
 in the mold, vulcanizing the liquid silicone together with the solid silicone material on top of the decoration, wherein the vulcanizing comprises closing the mold; 
 cooling the solid and liquid silicone; 
 removing from the mold the silicone chew toy comprising the solid silicone vulcanized to the liquid silicone; and 
 trimming a silicone flashing. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5  wherein the pattern in the mold comprises:
 a first region comprising a closed polygon structure; and 
 a second region comprising a structure having inner and outer edges, wherein the closed polygon structure is enclosed within the inner edge of the second region, separated from the first region by a gap; and 
 liquid silicone is inserted in the first and second regions; 
 the solid silicone is vulcanized to the liquid silicone in the first and second regions; and 
 in the vulcanized silicone chew toy, the solid silicone will be visible through a gap between the liquid silicone resulting from the gap between the first and second region of the mold. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6  wherein the first region has a cavity depth that is deeper than the second region, and
 in the vulcanized silicone chew toy, a first silicone structure resulting from the first region will be taller than a second silicone structure resulting from the second region. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 5  wherein the second silicone color paste is a different color from the first silicone color paste. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 5  wherein a base layer of the silicone chew toy is made from the solid silicone material and a minimum thickness of the base layer is at least about 12.5 millimeters. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 5  wherein the silicone chew toy comprises a first end and a second end,
 a base layer of the silicone chew toy is made from the solid silicone material and a minimum thickness of the base layer is at least about 12.5 millimeters, 
 at the first end, a first width of the base layer is at least about 65 millimeters, 
 at the second end, a second width of the base layer is at least about 65 millimeters, and 
 between the first and second ends, a third width of the base layer is less than at the first end and less than at the second end, the third width being about 35 millimeters or less. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 5  wherein the silicone chew toy comprises a colorfastness for its solid and liquid silicone having a dry crock testing value of at least about 4.0 and a wet crock testing value of at least about 3.0. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 5  wherein the silicone chew toy can withstand a minimum bite pressure of at least about 100 pounds of compression for at least about 10 seconds without puncturing. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 5  wherein a base layer of the silicone chew toy is made from the solid silicone material wherein the solid silicone material comprises a durometer range from about Shore A 30 to about Shore A 50. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 5  comprising:
 forming an opening in the solid silicone material of the silicone chew toy; and 
 forming an interior cavity in the solid silicone material, the interior cavity being joined to the opening, wherein through the opening an edible substance can be stored in the interior cavity. 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 5  wherein the vulcanizing the solid and liquid silicone together comprises heating to a temperature of about 200 degrees Celsius for about 2 minutes; and
 heating the liquid silicone to a temperature of about 160 degrees Celsius for about 2 minutes. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 2  wherein the second colorant is a different color from the first colorant. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 1  comprising:
 mixing a liquid silicone material with a second colorant wherein the second colorant is a liquid silicone material, to obtain a second combination; 
 placing the second combination of the liquid silicone and second colorant into a second cavity of the mold; 
 mixing a liquid silicone material with a third colorant wherein the third colorant is a liquid silicone material, to obtain a third combination; 
 placing the third combination of the liquid silicone and third colorant into a third cavity of the mold, 
 wherein the second colorant and third colorant do not touch each other in the mold, separated by a gap, and the second and third colorants are adjacent to each other without any other intervening combinations of the liquid silicone and colorants. 
 
     
     
       18. A method of making a silicone chew toy comprising:
 combining a solid silicone material with a first colorant, wherein the first colorant is a liquid silicone material, to obtain a first combination; 
 placing the first combination of the solid silicone and first colorant into a first cavity of a mold; 
 mixing a liquid silicone material with a second colorant wherein the second colorant is a liquid silicone material, to obtain a second combination; 
 placing the second combination of the liquid silicone and second colorant into a second cavity of the mold, wherein the second colorant is a different color from the first colorant; 
 mixing a liquid silicone material with a third colorant wherein the third colorant is a liquid silicone material, to obtain a third combination; 
 placing the third combination of the liquid silicone and third colorant into a third cavity of the mold, wherein the third colorant is a different color from the second colorant; 
 the second combination and third combination do not touch each other in the mold, separated by a gap, and the second and third combinations are adjacent to each other without any other intervening colorant combinations; 
 heating the second and third combinations to a first temperature; 
 layering a solid colored silicone into the mold on top of the silicone mixed with the first colorant and second colorant, wherein a minimum thickness of the solid colored silicone is at least about 12.5 millimeters; 
 compressing the mold; 
 heating the mold with the first, second, and third combinations to a second temperature, higher than the first temperature; 
 allowing the solid and liquid silicone to cool; and 
 after the allowing the solid and liquid silicone to cool, removing from the mold the silicone chew toy comprising the solid colored silicone that is vulcanized to the first combination of the solid silicone and first and second colorants. 
 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 18  wherein the silicone chew toy has a first side and a second side,
 liquid silicone colorants are applied to the first and second sides while in the mold, resulting in colored decorations on the first and second sides, 
 the silicone chew toy comprises a first end and a second end, and 
 a width of the solid colored silicone is narrower than widths at the first and second ends. 
 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 18  wherein a height of a solid silicone structure resulting from the second combination in the mold is taller than a solid silicone structure resulting from the third combination in the mold.